


Pearlapis bomb

by WhatCameFirst



Category: Pearlapis - Fandom, Steven Universe - Fandom, pearlapis bomb
Genre: F/F, Garnet - Freeform, Lapis - Freeform, Steven Universe - Freeform, amethyst - Freeform, pearl - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatCameFirst/pseuds/WhatCameFirst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearlapis bomb!!! All of these are short stories...more or less. Most likely AU , it will be stated as such in the summary! Have a really gay Pearlapis bomb!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pearlapis bomb day 1: Parallels/Fusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearlapis day 1: fusions/parallels. This is set after Malachite unfused (AU) and Lapis is chilling with the gems. Peridot is still MIA and so is Jasper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drop kicks Pearl and Lapis off a cliff* what have you done to me??

Lapis woke from a night terror, feeling as if she were still Malachite. The sense of panic and willingness to protect Steven was overwhelming in her chest and on her mind. She was sitting up straight on the white sectional sofa. Lapis instinctively glanced up at Steven's loft area. She rose to her feet, her wings sprayed out behind her and she drifted up next to Steven's bed. He was sleeping peacefully, unharmed, safe. Lapis kept weary eyes on the sea as well, thinking about Malachite and Jasper, two things that she couldn't get off her conscience these days. She looked back at Steven, his voice echoing in her head, _Beach summer fun buddies!_  A small smile graced her lips, something very rare  

Pearl kept stress-dancing on her suspended pools of water. Whenever she was alone, she'd alievate her mental tension by dancing, surrounded by her tranquil infinity pools. A healthy review of the vast sword collection helped too. But she yearned for one thing, Steven.  Pirouettes across the water turned into pacing and Pearl fighting the urge to burst out through her magic door and watch Steven like she usually does. _But, alas, Lapis_. Pearl was not bitter,(though she was bitter that she couldn't watch Steven in his sleep)  she was sympethetic, she knew what it was like to be a _tool_. She knew she needed to tread carefully around Lapis because she knew, that she had used Lapis. Did she really know the mirror was sentient? Pearl kept asking herself that. But this was not a pertinent matter at the time, for someone was imposing on her time to watch Steven in the darkest hours of the night. One of her most favorite past times.  

Amethyst was rummaging around in the kitchen at a strange hour. The sun was beating down on Steven's sleeping face. Lapis was drifting in and out of sleep a bit, but heard the noise of movement and was about to literally fly out of the window. She made a loud _oof_ , while unceremoniously falling off of the window sill. "Woah, broski! Chill, just looking for some engine oil." Pearl came storming out of Amethyst's room holding up a container of engine oil saying, "Amethyst, how many times have I told you to clean your poor excuse for a room?! You wouldn't have this problem if you organized your junk once in a while." Pearl stopped and stared at the pair of blue eyes looking down from the loft area. Amethyst ran by Pearl quickly swiping the can from her hands shouting a "Thanks, P" over her shoulder ftom inside her room. "Uh, ok." Pearl stood in the kitchen and stared back at Lapis. Both gems didn't really have any social relation practice so they stood. Watching each other, more or less. Pearl did look like she wanted to say something at one point. But Steven woke up to the sound of Garnet warping to the temple. He scrambled out of bed in his pajamas, "Hey Lapis! Oh Pearl were you watching me sleep Again? Garnet! Where did you go! Tell me about your mission! I wanna know!" Steven talked a mile of minute, seemingly snapping the gems out of their deadlock stare. Pearl slightly blushed and informed Steven that she was in fact, not watching him sleep, again. Lapis drifted down from the loft area, still unused to stairs. She started making her makeshift bed the way Steven had told her was "normal", even though Pearl made his bed most of the time. Lapis was not surprised by this, since last time she was on homeworld, pearls were mere servants. Interaction between herself and the gems was minimal, to say the least, besides Steven, of course. He tried to show her modern things and human customs that she was not familiar with at all. 

Since Lapis was kind of confined by the Crystal Gems to the beach area, she wandered around the tall hill overlooking the ocean directly above the temple. The night sky twinkled with stars, which reminded Lapis of Homeworld. Not the ugly Homeworld she had seen, not the one that imprisoned her. The Homeworld of old, where her partial memories lay. Lapis was torn between wanting to assimilate into the Crystal Gems, tethered to Earth and wanting to drift off to Homeworld, again. Lapis sat down on the grass that was illuminated by the moon. She chuckled, thinking of the moon and how humans claim that it controls the tides and such. She thought of the comfort that earth's oceans brought her and then stopped thinking of this because of what was in the ocean. _Who_ was in the ocean. Lapis squeezed her eyes shut. This alone time was both necessary and harmful to Lapis, it was at these times that she contemplated her life choices. Where she was reminded of all the evil and hardship in her life. _At least there's Steven. A cause, a purpose_. A cool sunmer breeze caressed Lapis and ruffeled her dress. It felt good and carried roses with it. Lapis enjoyed the small things earth had to offer. She looked closer though, seeing that the flowers were all one color and appeared to be semi-translucent. Curious, she went to touch one and it phased out. Her hand recoiled very fast and she turned around to see a dancing Pearl. Pearl's back was to Lapis but she could tell that the flowers were being generated by Pearl. Lapis just observed for a moment before collecting her thoughts and approaching the graceful gem. Pearl turned around, noticing Lapis coming near and stopped the holo-flowers from flitting in the night air and stopped dancing. Before Pearl could begin her sentence, Lapis decided to be direct and blurt out a question, "How can you dance so well? As a pearl, one who doesn't usually fuse?" Pearl blushed, clearly taken aback. Then she quickly changed face to one of stiffness, "I...like to dance," Pearl said slowly, she didn't entirely trust Lapis or understand her, but she did sympathize with her. "...I like to fuse and dancing doesn't always need to be a means to an end, neither does fusion." Lapis sighed, "Is this what gems do? Use. Just use and use until there is nothing left?" Lapis wasn't using an accusatory tone, she was calm and sad about this. Pearl looked at Lapis, not used to being so tongue tied, she continued, "You used me, as a mirror, as a tool." Pearl was about to interject, before she could Lapis held up a hand as to silence her so she could say what she needed to say. "I used Jasper to save Steven, Homeworld used me to get to you Crystal Gems. I can't take it anymore! I feel like it's no different here than on Homeworld! I'm in a preverbal jail cell where ever I go, there's no escaping!" Her voice had crescendoed into a wavering shout that sounded hopeless. Pearl having no idea what to say to this strange confession. Obviously she couldn't solve all of Lapis's problems. Pearl stepped closer to the trapped gem and noticed the height difference substantially. Pearl dare not lay a hand on Lapis's shoulder. Actually, she dares. Lapis flinched at the gentlenes of the hand. "May I have this dance?" Lapis looked bewildered but her misery washed away to confusion. She accepted Pearl's hand and Pearl lead. They wordlessly danced, Pearl kept a slow rythem, but Lapis outwardly intended to get on with a fusion dance. Pearl smiled down at Lapis, "Don't rush, just feel." Pearl forced the dance to be even slower, Lapis looked frustrated now, "What am I supposed to be feeling?" Lapis was not as fired up now. "Freedom. Don't fuse if you don't want to, it's your choice," Peal said this as she swiftly switched hands and footing, making Lapis the lead. Even though she was the shorter gem, she lead and she tried to by habit, possibly, to create a fusion. Each attempt was shot down by Pearl. The dance was fast now, a mix of tango and fox trot if there ever was one. Lapis stopped finally when she wasn't getting fusion results from Pearl. "Why won't you fuse with me? I don't understand why we are dancing if you don't intend to fuse! You initiated the fusion dance too!" Lapis said in a high pitched voice. "You still obviously don't understand. Humans dance, and yet they can't fuse. They still dance, though. They enjoy it, why can't we enjoy dancing?" Pearl offered her hand politely to Lapis. She took it, this time determined to get a fusion out of this. They moved beautifully together, Lapis tried this "enjoying" thing out and melded perfectly into Pearl's lucid flow. The gems began to glow and Lapis blushed a bright yellow when they finally fused. She understood now, the pleasure of fusing when both parties eased into a concent filled harmonious joining of bodies and consciousness. They had faith in each other, rather than conventional trust, they trusted blindly. Such is faith.  

A flash, some smoke and _poof_ , a new gem, unique in personality, is a reality. A tall, winged beauty stood with four arms, two legs and four eyes. Rainbow Moonstone shone brilliantly against the dark night sky. She continued to dance by herself and laugh. A full satisfied laugh. Rainbow Moonstone hugged herself tightly and laid on the soft grass, she sighed and looked up at the night sky without longing. "Thank you."

The gems split apart all too soon. "Could we...maybe do this again sometime? Just dance?" Lapis asked bashfully. "As you wish." Pearl answered with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RAINBOW MOONSTONE. Princess Bride, anyone?


	2. Pearlapis bomb day 2: Angst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearlapis bomb day 2: Angst. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HUMAN AU, there's a zombie apocalypse. Pearl, Steven, Garnet and Amethyst are holed up in the beach house. Greg is totally missing and Rose is dead. *Lapis enters stage left*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this even angsty? Like, I was bored and ran with this prompt lol.

Pearl and Steven were hanging out in the makeshift armory that the Gems aquired post outbreak. "Now, Steven, you understand the importance of knowing how to use a sword and a gun?" Pearl was holding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.

"Yeah, but which one is better?" Steven asked curiously and ever so innocently. Pearl had always admired the craft of sword play. That was before the outbreak and the war. Now she used these skills for survival. She smiled at the boy, "For close ranged fighting, a sword because you never run out of ammo and when you're fighting a mutant, they won't be shooting at you. For ranged attacks, guns are useful." Steven and Pearl proceeded to talk while they walked to the kitchen.

Outside Pearl heard a strange noise. "Steven, stay in the kitchen" Pearl moved towards the front door with her sword drawn. She always kept multiple weapons on her person at all times. The dirty, yet still functional tactical gear helped immensely with her carrying capacity. The air purifyer was whirring beside the door.

Pearl peaked out from behind the window and let out a frustrated sigh. Just Amethyst. "Amethyst! What did I say about tagging the beach house? You're wasting valuable spray paint!" Pearl was so frazzled, she was so worried that it was a mutant outside of the house.

Amethyst pulled the gas mask from her face to speak, "Sorry, P. Just trying to make this place presentable." Amethyst said this while packing up the numerous spray cans. Their occasional bickering actually kept Pearl sane and distracted from the depressing atmosphere that has been brought on by the end-of-world pandemic and loss of Rose Quartz.

"Amethyst, please put your gas mask on."Garnet came up behind Amethyst so soundlessly that she jumped.Garnet's arms were filled with supplies she had scavenged.

"Safety first." Garnet fixed her darkly shaded ski goggles.

"Garnet's back! Garnet's back!" Steven cheered as she stepped into the sanitation center at their front door. It was like a plastic shower that sprayed you with air that sanitized you in case you were carrying anything bio hazardous.

Steven ran up and hugged Garnet. He looked up at her with big brown eyes. She chuckled, answering his silent question by handing him a little something special. "You got me a rock!" Steven said with so much enthusiasm, his dark eyes sparkled. The day went on with no incident. Which was a good thing, no mutants or stragglers knocking on their door. 

\------

The next morning, Pearl woke up and prepared herself for the exhibition they were going on today. She was excited for Steven, it would be his first exhibition with the Gems. Today, their mission objective was to test the formula developed by the late Rose Quartz.

This formula is incomplete, since Rose died prematurely. The formula was sorta like a cure, but Rose died before she could refine it and put finishing touches on it...like how to administer the stuff to the mutants. The thought process behind it was to enable the subconscious mind of the individual mutant to come forth so that they stop trying to eat human brains. The base ingredient of the serum was Rose's own DNA, for some reason she was immune. The theory was that her antibodies in her blood could reverse the effects of the mutations. Rose contaminated the sample by accident, unknowingly with her tears, so now that the variable is in place, no one knows if it's the blood or tears that make up the cure. They all wondered if Steven was immune, but never took the chance of losing him to the madness. Today's excursion will not only be to test the cure in battle, but to infiltrate and investigate ground zero. The Kindergarten.

Steven was extremely excited to _finally_ go on a mission. Until today, the three women that raised the boy thought that it was a little too dangerous to bring him along. Their mission today was to specifically test out his mother's lifelong dream. To cure the mutants and restore them to stability.

Steven prepared a together breakfast and attempted to keep Amethyst away from the popcorn. Pearl was just as excited to test out Rose Quartz's serum. "You know, Steven, this was your mother's sole purpose to move here! In Beach City, she believed we could create an antidote and defeat HW, the people who mutated other people in the first place!" The atmosphere was bursting with adventure. The undertone of nerves was there as usual but Pearl was especially chatty.

\----

The mission was a failure. And so was the next and the next. All they achieved was nothing. They almost died trying to administer the serum. It was needlees to say, a difficult task. Especially when, they didn't know where, how, or when to give it to unwilling specimens.

The Kindergaten was an emotional and educational experience. Steven learned that the gas mask didn't really fit his face and what an emergency sanitation shower was like. Also that Amethyst was born as a test subject in the Kimdergarten. Rose Quartz saved her right before the outbreak ravaged the Kindergarten. Yes, they started it, but they lost control of some test subjects and then a basic apocalypse happened.

Pearl was zoning out the whole time during the mission. Cold sweats and flashbacks ravaged her. She couldn't help going back to the war.  A gun shot rang from somewhere and this sent her into a flashback.

  _Infantry soldiers lined the streets, on the other side, a group of rebels lead by Rose Diamond. YD commanded her troops forward to advance on her sister's ragtag group of dissenters. A grenade soared through the air landing a couple yards from Rose. Pearl didn't even remember thinking about it. She shouted "GRENADE" and jumped on it. The grenade didn't explode, but the next one did. Leaving Pearl with a permanent scar on her forehead from shrapnel._

The explosion continued to ring in Pearl's ears as she took a sanitation shower. The hallucinating she was experiencing was dangerous and no one had really noticed and she hadn't gotten hurt yet. She snapped out of it when Amethyst banged on the front door for her to hurry it up in case there were mutuants following them. Or worse, rogue HW soldiers. Pearl hadn't even realized that they made it back to the house, it was strange like she was just waking up from a nightmare.

Winter fell, and so they ceased missions due to the harsh cold they faced nowadays. 

\---

Spring rolled in with rain and dreariness.

In the winter time, Steven spent a long time looking over his mother's notes. He barely understood a word of it. Garnet and Pearl helped him decifer a bit, but all three women claimed Rose "had a healing touch". Steven was downcast about this but hopeful that he could be the same.

He understood the story, Rose Quartz had always been passionate about HW Authorities. She started the research center, to help people! Her two sisters went behind her back and used the research information for warfare and things went sour. Mass production of chemically enhanced soldiers was a bad idea. Rose thought the testing modes that her sisters used were unethical. When one of the infected test subjects escaped and then released an epidemic onto the human population, and anarchy fell, Rose decided to take her and her followers to set up a rebellion. To take over HW and work to find a cure. That's when it hit Steven.

He knew he wasn't that smart, but he also knew that one of the biggest problems was the mode of administration of the cure. In a liquid serum form. They had been using squirt guns, needles, hoses, nothing had worked. They tried solidifying it and launching the chunks into the mutants' mouths (if they had one). This was fruitless. Steven though about the sanitation shower and how it used steam type stuff, gaseous.

At dinner, Amethyst was shoving her food down her mouth and talking at the same time. Causing Pearl to gag a little, Garnet was silent as usual, with her radiation goggles on her face at all times.

Steven worked up the nerve to suggest his alternative was of administering the serum. "What if we put the mutant dudes in an area and gassed them out with the serum!" The small talk stopped. The women looked at Steven. He started to sweat and pull a nervous grin.

"I call it Rose's Tear Gas...I thought using tear gas canisters as a way to give it to the mutants." Pearl and Garnet got up from the table immediately, Amethyst quickly getting up right behind them. They murmured together in fast low voices. "Uh, guys?" Steven got up and followed the huddle into the laboratory. Steven sat at a table and watched the women whisper excitedly.

"It's entirely possible!"Pearl said excitedly.

"Yeah, like, I knew that kid had it in em" Amethyst scoffed.

"hmm" was all Garnet had to say on this, externally, anyway.

They broke apart, each one gathering things and taking notes. Steven was a little frustrated with being ignored so he stood up, "HEY! What's going on!?" All of the women simultaneously stopped. Garnet walked up to Steven, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Steven, your idea is very good and we couldn't waste a second. We are in the middle of preparing the serum to make it in a gaseous state. Now why are you just standing there? Get to work!" She released him gently and smirked down at his scrunched up face as it relaxed and turned into surprise. He got up  and got to work. They all put thier noses to the grindstone.

Working tirelessly with occasional snack breaks where Amethyst and Steven would sneak away for a minute or two. Over the span of multiple months, they scrounged for canisters. Only filling a select few to try this new formula. 

They were out and about just going for a supply run, but this time they were armed with Rose's Tear Gas. Steven and Amethyst split off and Pearl and Garnet went the other way.

Steven and Amethyst walked along the shore line. Steven picked up a broken mirror that seemed to have washed up on the shore. He walked and examined the cracked mirror. As he was looking at himself in the mirror, behind him he saw movement. "Uh...Amethyst. I think I saw something back there."

Amethyst took out her spiked whip. "Where?" Steven pointed in the general direction behind them.  A mutant came from behind a boulder on the beach. But this mutant was different. It was blue in coloring, like not enough oxygen circulation to the limbs and cephaloc region.m

More mutants came from behind them, Amethyst turned to take care of the three mutants while Steven tried to figure this one out. It looked like a girl, wearing a tattered dress and her skin wasn't dead like regular mutants. She looked relatively normal. "Um, hello? What's your name?" The girl looked blankly at him. 

 She croaked "Hello? what's your name?"

Steven's eyebrows shot up. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I'm understand your saying." The words came out choppy and the same inflection as when Steven said them. As he tried to figure this out. He smiled and the girl smiled back.

 Right on time, Pearl came running with a sword drawn, yelling "Get away from my baby!"

Steven panicked, he knew this girl was different. "No! Don't hurt her!" Garnet was running in front of Pearl. Steven didn't know what to do, so he pulled a tear gas canister from his belt and pelted it at Pearl. Pearl relflexively sliced the object flying at her in half. This was a mistake, tear gas exploded everywhere. She coughed and squeezed her eyes shut. She immediately froze up and collapsed.The pieces flew into Garnet's face and knocked her goggles off.

"I'm sorry!" Steven shouted as he took the strange girl's arm and ran. He knew in his gut that she was different and needed help. Steven took the girl to the ruins of some former storefront in the boardwalk.

The girl actually was looking more... _alive_. "The gas!" Steven gasped.

"It worked!" He laughed and jumped around. The girl looked up at him and giggled. He stopped in his tracks, pulling them both into a safe hiding spot.

"Okay, do you know what your name is?" The girl shook her head yes, but seemed like she still couldn't speak. Steven thought for a second.

"I've got it!" He dug around in his cheeseburger backpack and pulled out a syringe. The girl saw this and her eyes got wide and she shook her head backing up.

 "No, no, no! It okay! It's a potential cure!" She settled down and shut her eyes, sticking her arm out, albeit reluctantly. Steven found a vein and stuck it in. The girl lumped forward then suddenly jolted up and coughed a bunch.

"Are you alright?" Steven reached around for water. The girl took it and chugged it. Dumping it on her head, too. 

Just as Steven was about to talk to her again, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl burst in. "Steven back away from the mutant!" Garnet's powerful and angry voice commanded Steven.

The girl got up "I'm Lapis Lazuli and you can't keep me trapped here anymore! Let's go Steven, these people trapped me here and used me as a guinea pig!"

Steven was so confused and conflicted "what? These are my friends!" Steven looked at the women that raised him, pleading that this was false. Pearl locked eyes with him and sent him _I'm sorry_ vibes. This was bad. 


	3. Pearlapis bomb day 3: Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearlapis bomb day 2: Kissing. Let's see how warped I can make this. Just kidding, here we are in Ocean City, Maryland. Pearl is a human and lives near Steven and treats him like a little brother. Lapis is a mermaid and a lot of stuff happens and they end up kissing. The end. Oh, this is taken place in Ocean City, Maryland, USA. My childhood memories...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mermaids in Maryland. This should be fluffly

Pearl finished the last bit of high school as a senior. Graduation went by quickly, so did her move. Pearl decided to establish residence in Maryland so she could get into better schools there. Also, she landed a great condo with two other roommates that she has known for a long time. Prospects were located in Ocean City, Maryland, why here? Her parents grew up there, even though she didn't know who they were, really. This was a new adventure and would totally turn out ok. 

\---

Fast forward three months. Pearl woke up and started her morning routine. She got dressed, making sure not to wake Amethyst, asleep on the couch, again.

Over the past three months, Pearl held three different jobs. She was crabbing for less than a month when she found out that the slow rocking of the crab boats made her extremely sea sick. Slow rocking motions weren't her thing. Fast boats, though, those were fun. Her second job was working at Phillip's Crab House as a waitress, there were no problems with this job except the fact that Pearl "accidentally" dumped a bucket of crabs on a customer's head after he hit his girlfriend, and thus was fired.

Now, Pearl was a part time life guard and patrolled the ocean side on a quick little Sea Doo jet ski. The other part, she was maintenance at Fager's Island on the bayside. She enjoyed this job very much, the only downside was, Pearl's fair skin was burned a lot. With the wind in her hair and the ocean spray on her face, she felt like she was flying. She loved this feeling of freedom on the jet ski, and there was rarely ever a problem where a person needed serious saving. She mostly hauled back surfers that went out too far. Today she was to go in early and ride around from the Bay Side to the Ocean Side.

Fager's Island was hard work, sometimes. As a maintenence worker, Pearl did a bit of everything. This was even more so working the hard odd jobs because she was low on the totem pole. Her shift started in the evening making it perfect so that it didn't interfere with her life guard work. She loved Fager's Island long standing tradition to play Beethoven's fifth while the sun sets. 

Pearl proceeded to throw a helmet on her head and sling her bag over her shoulder. She hopped on her bike and had a little conversation before she could leave her driveway. Steven, the adorable little boy next door that she's grown to love, waved at her. "Hey Pearl! Guess what I saw yesterday?" His eyes shown and his grin was so big even though it was very early in the morning. 

"What was it, Steven?" Pearl said, expecting to get an andwer along the lines of _a mermaid_!

"Well, there I was, sitting on the rocks. And I see a flash of blue, a glimmer." Steven was pasuing for dramatic effect. Pearl found this absolutely darling.

"When all of a sudden, SPLASH! A wall of water knocks me into the water and I'm dazed and trying to make it back to the rocks, when something human grabs me and pushes me to the rocks. I noticed later there was a shark swimming around so I ran the rocks back to the shore!" 

Pearl was trying to not laugh at the boy. "Well you better be really careful out there, the ocean is unrelenting," she said.

"Yeah, but that mermaid totally saved my life! I wish I could repay her!" Steven kind of looked downcast. Pearl just knew a mermaid would be involved in his tale.

Pearl said, " I'll tell you what, when I get off at Fager's, I'll help you make something for the mermaid to thank her." 

Steven brightened right back up, "Oh my gosh! Pearl, thanks!"

"It'll be fun! But I've gotta go, lifeguard duty. Bye Steven!" Pearl went down the driveway and headed to the beach.  

"Bye Pearl! Have a good day at work! Watch out for sharks and mermaids!" Steven waved at her from the sidewalk.

Pearl peddled on her way to work. She passed by about a dozen Sunsations by the time she got to the lifeguard post to clock in. "Hey Pearl! You were almost late, cutting it close?" One of the male, testosterone filled lifeguadds greeted Pearl. He was like a dude bro frat boy, if there ever was one.

She just rolled her eyes. "Good morning, Geoffrey."

Pearl changed quickly into her wetsuit. Signing out a jet ski quickly. Riding from 1st street to the Bay and back was her job today. Pearl, honestly, liked the way the sea air and high speed of the jet ski plastered her short hair back. The style could only be achieved by the OC winds or a blow dryer and lots of product. 

 ----

The lifeguard shift ended and the Fager's Island shift started. Another bike ride and clock in later, Pearl's manager was stalking up to her, smiling. "Hey, Pearl, I was wondering..." Pearl could only imagine what kind of hazing that she was going to have to endure today. 

Regan, her Pearl's manager continued enthusiastically, "I need you to get a wet suit on, snorkels and a scraper. You're scraping the barnacles off the dock!" 

"Oh yay! I'll get right on that!" Pearl said sarcastically and when Regan turned around she rolled her eyes. 

Pearl hated jumping in that bay. But you do what you gotta do. Pay your dues. She was all suited up, again, for barnacle scraping. 

Snorkel on, flashlight on, wetsuit on. Of course her head was  exposed minus the goggles. Pearl sighed and jumped into the dark bay water. Scraper in hand, she started to scrape barnacles off the posts of the dock. Being very careful, Pearl maneuvered her way down the criscrossing wooden beams of the underwater parts of the dock. Scraping barnacles on her way. Some fish zipped by Pearl's face. Her heartbeat quickened by the sudden movement, then she calmed down. Up and down, breath after breath, tedious work.  

About 30 minutes into this torture, Pearl became numb. She was so numb, she didn't notice the strange flicker in the water. Or the next flicker in the water. She only noticed when the shiny specimen tapped her on the shoulder.

The knee jerk reaction to this, for Pearl, was to shoot up out of the water as fast as she could. While doing this, Pearl crashed into one of the criss crosses. Immediate unconsciousness was the result. 

The mermaid felt guilty about this human that was currently floating unconscious. She remembered that this human might die if submerged too long. Lapis took action by swimming up to the girl and pulling her toward the shore.She wasn't sure if she should be doing anything more, so she sat and watched the girl she was watching from underwater earlier.

After a minute or two, the mermaid thought further and decided the pale lips of this human were satisfactory enough. The blue haired mystical creature of the sea bent down and placed the gentlest of kisses on the fragile lips of the human that lay at her mercy. A sharp spark from the contact made the mermaid jolt back and Pearl jerk up. 

Lapis and Pearl knocked heads, a very painful experience for both of them. "Ow, what was that for?!" Lapis was rubbing her head. 

Pearl was out of breath, unsure if it was from almost drowning or the electrifying kiss. "I uh am so sorry!" It just about hit Pearl right then that this girl she was speaking to was blue for one, and two, she was half fish. 

Pearl's grew wider with every second that passed. "It's fine! I'm Lapis Lazuli! Nice to meet you finally!" 

"...Nice to meet you, Lapis. I'm Pearl." Pearl stuck her hand out to shake Lapis's but Lapis remained still. Lapis had an _oh_ look ln her face and took the outstretched hand. Pearl thought _Dead fish handshake_. No pun intended.

"Wait finally?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: FAGER'S ISLAND ISN'T A BAD PLACE TO WORK FOR, I JUST USED THE NAME AND LOCATION AND SERVICE CUSTOMS FOR MY STORY  
> (they're great though, good food and beautiful sun sets, it's true they play Beethoven's fifth at sunset)


End file.
